


Chemistry in a Cup

by Mother_of_Eevees



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:47:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23329480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mother_of_Eevees/pseuds/Mother_of_Eevees
Summary: "I was supposed to meet Hinata-san here at 4, but it seems he’s out today?”“I’m Hinata Natsu, Shouyou’s sister. My big brother wants to date your little brother, but somehow can’t get it together to ask him out, so I figure it’s up to us to get these two idiots together. ”
Relationships: Hinata Natsu & Hinata Shouyou, Hinata Shouyou/Tsukishima Kei, Tsukishima Akiteru & Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 7
Kudos: 226
Collections: Haikyuu Fluffy Fest Bingo





	Chemistry in a Cup

Akiteru’s phone buzzes with a text.

_Tsukishima-san, can you meet at the Little Giant Cafe this afternoon at 4? we have a mutual interest that could work to both our advantages. Hinata._

He texts back, _I’m not entirely sure what you’re talking about, but sure. See you at 4._

Across the table, Tenma looks up from his computer. “What was that, Aki?”

“Hinata asked to meet me at the cafe this afternoon, something about a ‘mutual interest that could work to both our advantages.’ Any idea what that’s about?”

Tenma shrugs. “No idea. I can’t wait to hear what’s going on, though.”

Just before 4, Akiteru arrives at the cafe and heads to the counter to order a coffee. 

“Your usual, Tsukishima-san?” says Takeru, the barista on duty.

“Yes, please, and is Hinata around?”

“Which one?”

“What do you mean, which one?” Akiteru asks, confused.

“Well, Shouyou is off this afternoon, but his sister, Natsu, is here,” says Takeru, placing Akiteru’s order on the counter, and nodding towards a corner.

“Hmm, I’ll go ask her,” Akiteru picks up his drink and heads to the corner, where he finds a teenage girl with dyed-black hair with orange roots, eyes ringed with liner, sitting at a table, surrounded by notebooks and schoolbooks. She looks up as he approaches and says, “Ah good, you got my message.”

“I’m sorry, what? I was supposed to meet Hinata-san here at 4, but it seems he’s out today?”

“I’m Hinata Natsu, Shouyou’s sister. My big brother wants to date your little brother, but somehow can’t get it together to ask him out, so I figure it’s up to us to get these two idiots together. ”

“So that’s why Kei’s been so mopey lately!”

_Two months earlier…._

“You’re not Udai-san,” Tsukishima says, looking at the short, orange-haired man behind the counter of the coffee shop.

“No, I’m Hinata Shouyou, can I help you?

“Where’s Udai-san?” Tsukishima asks, placing his case on the counter.

“I don’t know, probably at his new job, if I had to guess,” Hinata says, “I’m the new owner of the Little Giant Cafe. Udai-san got his dream job,” he makes air quotes around the phrase “dream job”, “and he’s going to be writing manga. I’d always wanted my own cafe, and my friend Kenma helped me out with some seed money, and here I am!”

“How nice for you,” Tsukishima says, fiddling with the latches on the case. “I’m Tsukishima Kei and I was told you have a problem with the espresso machine?”

“Oh, you’re the repair guy? I thought it was a friend of Udai’s, Aki-something?”

“That’s my brother, Akiteru,” Tsukishima says stiffly. “He got called to another job, but I’ve been working with Akiteru since I started college, and I’ve actually worked on this machine many times - “

“No, no, it’s fine! I didn’t mean to make you mad, Tsukishima-kun!” Hinata says quickly. “I just found the name on Udai’s list of people to call when things go wrong and didn’t know what to expect,”

“Fine, then, tell me the problem and let me look at it,” 

“I think the steamer valve is clogged. I was practicing latte art yesterday and it stopped working. I tried a few things to unclog it, but nothing worked, so I left a message with your brother last night.”

Kei examines the steam wand and the espresso machine, but doesn’t find any obvious cause for the clog. 

“Did you check the water supply? I know Udai-san had a water filter installed, maybe the problem is there,”

“Oh! I had forgotten about that! Let’s check it,” Hinata says, and opens the cabinet underneath the espresso machine.

“Look under the sink, next cabinet over,” Kei says, deadpan.

“Oh yeah, there it is! Now what?” Hinata finds the water filter and looks up at Kei for guidance.

“Move over, let me look at it,” Kei grumbles as he kneels down to look at the filter. He unscrews one end of it, and sure enough, there’s a clog. “Look, see how this is all dirty? This system gets clogged every now and then, especially since you use a lot of water with the machine and keeping everything clean.”

He tilts the filter to show Hinata and is struck by his golden eyes, staring intently at the filter and then up at Kei. _If he weren’t so annoying, he’d be kind of cute,_ he thinks to himself, then clears his throat.

“Do you have a little brush or something to clear this out?” 

“Just a sec,” Hinata stands up and rummages through a drawer, then pulls out a small bottle brush. “How about this?”

“That should do nicely,” Kei takes the brush and scrubs the top of the filter. Once it’s clean, he reattaches it and closes up the cabinet. “Try purging the steam wand again and see if that’s fixed it.”

Hinata wraps a towel around the wand and throws the lever. It makes a loud hissing sound, the towel heats up and steam vents into the drip tray. “You did it! Thanks, Tsukishima-kun! Can I make you a coffee to celebrate our success?”

Kei nods, and Hinata swings into action. He flips on the grinder and sticks the portafilter under the spout, tapping to balance the dispersal of the grounds, then grabs a metal tamper and presses down. He eyes it critically; satisfied, he locks it into the espresso machine, slides a cup underneath and flicks a switch to turn it on. While the coffee starts dripping, he fills a pitcher with milk and sticks it under the steam wand. He turns a knob and the roar of steaming milk fills the cafe, and HInata watches intently as the milk makes a small whirlpool in the pitcher. 

He reaches over and turns off the espresso, still keeping an eye on the steaming milk. A few more seconds and he is satisfied with the temperature. He grabs the cup with espresso, tilts it and starts pouring the steamed milk. With a few twists and turns, he creates a tulip design in the milk, and places it on the counter for Kei’s approval.

“Pretty,” Kei says with grudging admiration. He eyes the pastry case longingly; in his haste to get to the cafe on time, he had skipped breakfast. Hinata follows his glance and grins. “Coffee’s always better with pastry! What can I get for you, Tsukishima-kun?”

“Udai-san used to have a strawberry puff pastry,” Kei says thoughtfully.

“That’s one of our most popular!” Hinata says. “Good thing you’re here early, that always sells out.” He reaches into the case with a pair of tongs and puts a pastry on a plate, passing it over to Kei, who sips his coffee and sighs appreciatively after the first taste.

“Not bad,” he says.

“Guess you really liked that pastry!” Hinata says, as he rinses out the milk pitcher. 

Kei had finished it and is now using a finger to pick up the last flakes from the dish. “You’ve got some on your cheek,” Hinata says, tapping his own cheek to show him where to brush. Kei dabs at his cheek, but finds nothing. “Here, let me,” says Hinata, reaching out and brushing the flake from his cheek.

HIs fingers are warm and Kei blames that for his sudden blush. “Um, thanks,” he mutters. 

“N-no problem! It’s the least I can do, after you came over here to help me out!” Hinata’s cheeks are also turning pink.

As Kei finishes his drink, he calls over to Hinata. “Where should I put my dishes?” 

“Just leave them there, we’ll take care of it. Thanks for your help this morning!” The weekend rush has begun and the cafe is bustling. Another barista is there to help out and Kei notices that he is around the same height as Hinata, though his spiky white hair makes him seem taller.

xx

“You didn’t tell me the Little Giant Cafe had a new owner,” Kei says accusingly.

“I didn’t? I thought I mentioned it to you,” Akiteru says absently, flipping through a stack of papers in the tiny office. “You probably weren’t paying attention - you had a pretty heavy course load this last semester,”

“Whatever,” says Kei, flapping his hand dismissively. “Anyway, what do you know about the new owner?”

“He’s about your age, Kei, and I think he just graduated with a degree in hospitality and restaurant management. Tenma met him at some latte art competition and was impressed by his coffee skills and his personality. They got to talking and became friends. When Tenma got the job offer from Mangapalooza and decided to sell the cafe, he got in touch.”

xx

It’s just a coincidence that Kei starts going to the Little Giant Cafe a couple of times a week. Shouyou has been a barista, sure, but it’s different when you’re the one in charge. Not that Kei has ever owned a cafe, or even been a barista, but he feels like he should keep an eye on him. It’s convenient, and the pastries and coffee are good. Not that he likes watching Shouyou make coffee drinks, or chat with the customers. He knows what drinks people like, makes small talk with them and remembers conversations.

“Your usual macchiato today?” he says to a customer. “Yes, and can I get a berry scone today as well?” she replies.

“A little treat for the end of the week? Excellent!” he smiles and winks at her. She giggles and blushes.

Kei, sitting at the counter with a book, rolls his eyes.

Every customer interacts with Hinata, and he does his best to charm them all, even the grumpy salarymen. And of course he tries to charm Kei, who is, of course, impervious to his charm. No effect. Completely impervious. 

“Tsukishima-kun, do you have a favorite animal?” he says one afternoon. It’s quiet now, just a few people in the cafe, 

“I like dinosaurs,” Kei says absently, and goes back to his book. Hinata nods, grabs a pitcher and some milk. A few minutes later, he hears a clinking sound in front of him and looks up. Hinata is putting a cup and saucer in front of him. “What do you think?” he asks.

“I think I didn’t order another...what is that?” He looks at the cup. It’s one of those sculpted milk foam drinks, but instead of a teddy bear or a cat, the foam is shaped like a dinosaur, a t-rex to be exact. 

“Do you like it? I was watching youtube videos of 3-d latte art and it looked like it would be fun to try.”

“It’s okay,” Kei says. “That’s a lot of foam though. How long did it take you to make?”

“It took a while, but that’s because I’m just learning how to do it,” Hinata says, cleaning up the foam that had landed on the counter while he was making it.

“If you add it to the menu, you should charge more, otherwise it’s not worth it,” Kei says. While Hinata is distracted by another customer, he picks up his phone and takes a picture. It really is cute, he thinks, and then drinks it. 

Hours later, as he lies awake, buzzing from too much caffeine, he scrolls through the photos on his phone and realizes that Hinata had even drawn little glasses on the t. rex and it kind of looks like him, if Kei were a dinosaur. “Oh no,” he says to himself, dropping the phone on his chest. “Why does he have to be so cute?”

xx

“So, when are you going to ask him out?” Natsu asks, slurping her iced coffee.

“I don’t know if he likes me or is just being polite,” Shouyou says as he dries a coffee cup and puts it away in the cabinet. “Not that he’s usually polite, he’s just….not as rude sometimes.”

xx

Kei stops going to the Little Giant Cafe. He blames it on his school schedule, but that’s a lie. He finally admits to himself that he has a crush on Hinata and makes a list of all the reasons it’s a terrible idea:

  1. He’s a client of Akiteru’s repair service. If they start dating, it’s bound to end in a messy breakup and then Akiteru would be minus one client.
  2. He’s a barista, being friendly is his job. Kei doesn’t want to be That Guy Who Hits on the Barista and Makes It Uncomfortable for Everyone. Seriously, ew.
  3. Third reason, third reason, shit, he can’t think of a third reason. Isn’t two enough?



xx

“He’s probably got a list of reasons why he shouldn’t date Hinata,” Akiteru says to Natsu. “He’s a good kid, but sometimes he overthinks things too much.”

“Shouyou was trying to let him know that he likes him, but now he thinks that he scared him away,” Natsu comments. “If only there were some way we could get the two of them together.”

They sit in silence. Natsu twirls her pen, Akiteru crumbles his scone. 

“I have an idea….”

xx

Over the next few weeks, it’s almost as if the espresso machine at the Little Giant Cafe is cursed. One part after another chips or cracks or somehow needs repair. Most of the damage is minor, and Shouyou cobbles together replacements. 

The water filter clogs again; as Shouyou unclogs it, he thinks of Kei and how he had shown him how to unclog it, and sighs. As he closes the cabinet, his phone starts ringing. His heart jumps when he sees the call is coming from “Tsukishima” and sinks when he realizes that it’s from Akiteru.

“Tsukishima-san, how are you?” (how’s your adorable, sarcastic brother? he thinks, but doesn’t say)

“Ah, good morning, Hinata-san! I just wanted to find out if the espresso machine has been acting up at all? I’m looking at the service records and I think it’s due for a tune-up.”

“Funny you should mention that. I’ve been having a lot of problems lately and if you could come out and take a look at it, maybe you can figure out what’s going on,” 

“Would tonight work, or early tomorrow morning?”

“Let’s do it tonight. Saturday is pretty quiet after 4 and we officially close at 6.”

“See you then.”

xx

“Kei, can you do an espresso machine maintenance call this afternoon?”

“I suppose so. Where is it?”

“It’s at the Little Giant. Their machine has been acting up and I noticed that it’s time for the semi-annual maintenance, and -”

“Nii-san, I’d rather not. I think you should go instead,” Kei puts his book down and starts biting a nail. “In fact, I just realized that I have a paper I need to write,”

“Kei-”

“And I’m really behind on my reading,”

“Kei-”

“And -”

“Kei, I have another client then, so you are going and that’s final. Get there after 5.” Akiteru hangs up and Kei stares at the phone. He contemplates throwing it across the room, then huffs out a deep breath and goes back to his book. He reads the same page three times before giving up and going to make some tea.

xx

“It’s you!”

“Yes, it is. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

“It’s ok, I’ll be in the back,” and Shouyou retreats to the office. Kei is both glad and sad that he is gone, but opens his toolbox and starts to work. The machine is in good shape; he notices some of the chips and cracks that Akiteru had mentioned in a text, but they shouldn’t be causing any problems. 

He opens the side panel and looks at the maintenance record. He looks again and frowns. This can’t be right. He walks to the office, hears Shouyou’s voice and freezes.

“He’s here!... right now, working on the Marzocco…..you’re right, I should just tell him….not sure when I’ll see him again….well, of course I’m friendly with everyone, that’s my job, but I thought I was being obvious that I like him…”

Wait. Shouyou likes him? He pushes on the door, and nearly whacks Shouyou in the face. 

“I gotta go!” Shouyou says, quickly ending the call. “How much of that did you hear?” 

“You like me?” Kei says, brows raised.

“I do! I like you a lot, and I’ve missed you! Why did you stop coming by?”

“I didn’t want to be the weirdo who asks out the barista and makes it awkward,” Kei says, blushing.

“Would it be awkward if I did this?” Shouyou pulls him into his office, shuts the door, pushes Kei up against the wall and kisses him.

Kei looks down at him. “Much less awkward than I thought, now that I know you like me,” He sits on the desk and wraps his arms around Shouyou, legs apart so that Shouyou can get closer to him. Shouyou tilts his head to kiss him again. Kei sighs with pleasure; Shouyou’s tongue traces his bottom lip and slips inside his mouth as he winds his hands into Kei’s hair and pulls him closer.

After kissing for several minutes, Shouyou pulls back to catch his breath. “Why did you come back here in the first place?”

Kei is very distracted by Shouyou’s lips, and has to close his eyes to remember, but then it comes back to him. “This whole thing was a setup,” Shouyou looks at him in confusion. “Here, let me show you.”

He takes him by the hand and leads him out to the counter. “Look at this.”

Shouyou looks at the machine, then looks back at Kei. “I don’t understand,”

“There’s nothing wrong with the machine, it doesn’t need to be serviced. Look at this date!”

“That was the month before I took over the cafe!” Shouyou exclaims.

“Correct. I think somebody was sabotaging your machine and then telling Akiteru it needed to be fixed,”

“But who?”

The bell on the door jingles and Natsu walks into the cafe. “Shouyou, are you almost ready to go?” As she gets closer to the counter, she looks down, sees their still-entwined hands and her eyes widen. “Ohmygosh, did you two finally realize that you like each other?”

Shouyou narrows his eyes and looks at her. “Did you sabotage my machine?”

The words come out in a rush “He told me what to do - we made sure it was nothing catastrophic!” She looks guilty for an instant, then lifts her head defiantly. “I’m sorry, but if it got you two to realize your feelings, I regret nothing!”

“Natsu, you scheming little gremlin!” 

“I’m not that little! I’m almost as tall as you!”

“Notice that she doesn’t deny that the scheming gremlin part,” Kei says dryly, though his face is still aflame.

“If Tsukishima-san and I hadn’t done what we did, you two would’ve been pining forever! You would have - “ 

Kei interrupts her, “Do you mean Akiteru?” 

“Yes, he actually came up with the plan!” she keeps talking, but Kei is no longer listening. He picks up his phone and dials Akiteru’s number, who picks up immediately. 

“Kei-chan, what’s up?” Akiteru tries to sound casual.

“Nii-san, what were you thinking?” Kei hisses.

“I have one question - did it work?” 

A long pause. “Yes,” Kei mutters.

“Yes! It worked!” Kei hears a muffled cheer in the background, probably from Udai-san. “I’m sorry for misleading you like that, Kei, but I can’t apologize if it’s brought you and Shouyou together,”

“Ugh,” says Kei, rolling his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: This was supposed to be a quick bit of fluff and it kind of spiraled out of control. Oops. I hope you enjoyed it. 
> 
> Thanks to melliejellie for coming up with the Fluffy Fest Bingo - this idea had been percolating (as it were) in my head for a while and seeing the category “sibling shenanigans” was an a-ha! moment. 
> 
> Thanks as always to killer_squids for inspiration and brainstorming. Quarantine is more fun thanks to you!
> 
> I'm on twitter - @infogal.


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